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Celebrating on top of Gordon's Pyramid Photo by Damon Trenwith

Overnight we received a light dusting of fresh spring snow, and as we hit the track, the white peak of Gordon's Pyramid beaconed above the morning mist. Weaving around large sinkholes and through impressive rock formations, we burst out of the forest onto the pyramid's naked and exposed face. Ascending towards the apex rewarded us with spectacular views, stretching across the Tablelands and as far as Golden Bay.

"Just when you think you're at the top," Luke mumbled, as another climb appeared beyond the mound he was resting on. But 20 minutes later, Luke, Nathan and I stood speechless, turning 360 degrees to take in the amazing scenery. Mt. Arthur, Tasman Bay, Abel Tasman, Golden Bay, Farewell Spit and the Tasman Mountains were our visual trophies.

The descent into Horseshoe Basin, at times through knee deep snow, brought all three of us down more than once or twice - except for Luke and Nathan's intentional belly slides down a couple of powdery bowls that is. The tramping was a little strenuous through this section. Good visibility was required as the route was beneath a foot of snow. We followed markers over ridges and into gullies leading to the face of Mt Arthur.

Somehow Nathan attracted five Keas (the world's only alpine parrot) that circled him before landing close enough to imply that they'd like their photograph taken. Nathan didn't hesitate at the opportunity, and after a couple of shots they circled again and squawked off to wait for the next obliging trampers. These birds have one of the cheekiest and most curious personalities I've seen.

After linking onto the Mt. Arthur track we opted to head down due to our low energy levels from five hours of slogging up and down. You can head up to the summit of Mt. Arthur from here, adding another couple of hours to your tramp. If you've got the energy I hear its well worth the effort, with panoramic views and more awesome rock formations.

Large cumulus clouds began building to the west and the day's warmth was shadowed by the greying high cloud. We were lucky with our traverse, Gordon's Pyramid had disappeared behind a white curtain and the air smelled heavy with moisture. It was time to head down, and from Mt. Arthur's exposed rocky and tussock clumped ridge line, we descended back into the beech forest for a well deserved breather at the Mt. Arthur hut. It was only one hour's easy stroll to the car park from here.

At the hut, kids were building snowmen in the remaining snow while parents took photos. Luke was wondering how many blisters he had earned while Nathan was franticly searched for a loo. The wind was picking up while the clouds rolled in, and tomorrow I'd be back at work, but with a smile on my dial. We were all imagining a lazy drive back into town, followed by a hot shower and a cool beer as we hoisted on our packs and wandered down.

— By Damon Trenwith; Courtesy of New Zealand Adventure